Citizen organizations can help engineers to set environmental objectives. Public opinion and responses to important issues can be obtained more effectively by working through existing organizations than through presently used public-participation mechanisms. The citizen organization should be treated as a consultant to ensure that the information gathered is properly collected, timely, and reflective of a group's membership. The group should have a work program, specific tasks, and should be paid. The tasks that a group is asked to perform could include writing articles, holding meetings, and establishing suggested environmental objectives.